EnterpriseDB could increase the relevance of its database to Oracle shops with a new toolset, announced Tuesday, that can manage many servers at once.

The startup's Postgres Plus Standard Server and Postgres Plus Advanced Server are based on the open-source PostgreSQL database, bundling advanced features with the core code.

It has positioned itself as a lower-cost alternative to Oracle's database via a compatibility layer that allows Oracle workloads to be transferred over to its platform, albeit with no promise of a 100 percent match.

EnterpriseDB's new Postgres Enterprise Manager product, which is now generally available, may have appeal for Oracle DBAs who expect a robust array of tools for managing complex environments that are crucial to ongoing company business.

It includes a set of performance monitoring dashboards for tracking server loads, storage, user activity and other metrics; an alert system that warns of problems both real and potential; a capacity planning system meant to give administrators longer-term understanding of their workloads and storage needs; and a profiler tool for tracing problems with SQL code.

The last feature can be used on servers that aren't being controlled by the management toolset, which is "ideal for developers," EnterpriseDB Senior Software Architect Dave Page said in a blog post Tuesday. However, only EnterpriseDB's packaged version of PostgreSQL is supported for this use.

EnterpriseDB has also bundled in what it calls a "DBA in a box," which analyzes a customer's PostgreSQL environment and makes suggestions for database schema designs and other areas, according to Page.

The Enterprise Manager feature, which is based on the pgAdmin open-source project, is available on Windows and Linux and is included in any of EnterpriseDB's Postgre Plus subscription offerings. Stand-alone subscriptions can also be purchased for US$1,995 per socket.

There are no limits on the number of servers that can be managed.

However, some important features, such as a browser-based interface and support for languages other than English, are yet to come, according to a FAQ document on EnterpriseDB's website.

EnterpriseDB has a long way to go before it topples Oracle in the database market, but the company recently said it was nearing the 1,000-customer mark. A significant number of those customers represent Oracle migrations, an EnterpriseDB executive previously told IDG News Service.

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